Telegraph system



A. F. m xom. TELEGRAPH SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED IMAYZS. 1918- Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENTIOFFICE.

AMOS F. DIXON, 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, JASSIGNOR TO WESTERN ELECTRIC GOM- PANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TELEGRAPH SYSTEM.

Application filed May 28,

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, AMos FPDIXON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex, State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telegraph Systems, of which the following is a full, clear,

which is a local distributer under the control of the central distributer.

Such local distributers are customarily of a type which, in sending out the various current permutations which enter into the formation of the message, provide an interval of no current after each signaling cur-- rent impulse.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a central distributer arrangement which will, in combination with such a-system of local distributers, make the maximum use of the main transmission line connecting the two distributing centers. To this end the invention provides that the central distributers instead of being divided into quadrants, forexample, with the segments of each quadrant arranged to control one of the outlying stations, are arranged so that the segments controlling one station overlap or intermesh with the segments controlling another station. By this means the nocurrent intervals corresponding to one set of signaling impulses are made available for the transmission of the current impulses of another set. Thus the main transmission line is worked to its maximum capacity.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating one embodiment of this invention, a main transmission line 1 terminates at a main distributing station 2, in a differential duplex circuit comprising the differential relay 3 and the artificial line AL. Associated with the relay 3 are two distributers 4 and 5. The distributer 4 controls thetransmission to the line 1 of selective impulses received from four outlying stations, A, B, C and D. Distributor 5 controls the distribution to these four outlying stations Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 9, 1921.

1918. Serial No. 237,070.

of impulses received over the line 1. The arrangement shown requires the use of two line conductors from the main transmitting station to each of the outlying stations. Beferring particularly to the distributer arrangement, it will be noted that line conductor 6 which leads to the transmitting equipment'T at station B is connected to alternate segments 7 of the distributer 4, while conductor 8 leading to the receiving equipment R at substation B is connected to alternate segments 9 of the distributer 5. Correspondingly, conductor 10- leads to the transmitting equipment at station A, not shown, and is connected to'segments 11 on the distributer 4 which are located between the segments 7 and conductor 12, leading to the receiving set of station A, not shown, is connected to segments 13 lying between the segments 9 on distributer 5. In a similar way the transmitting and receiving segments for stations 6 and D are intermeshed on the two distributers. Thus, as the brush 14, for example, of distributer 4 revolves, it will connect the ring 15 alternately to segments 7 and 11, during one-half of its revolution, and alternately to transmitting leads of the stations C and D during the other half of its revolution. Similarly the brush 16 of distributer 5, in revolving, connects the re-' ceiving ring 17 alternately to the segments 9 and 13,- during one half of its travel, and during the other half of its travel alternately connects the ring 17 to the receiving leads of stations C and D. Only the station at equipment B is herein illustrated, inasmuch as the equipment at stations A, C and D is a duplicate of that at station B.

The system illustrated is designed to operate a printing mechanism in response to the receipt of various permutations of five impulses of positive or negative polarity. As such impulses are received over the line conductor 1, the relay 3 will move its armature 18 in one direction or the other to connect the ring 17 to positive battery 19 or negative battery 20. If such changes of current occur in synchronism with the passage of brush 16 over contacts 9, these impulses will be effective to actuate one or the other of relays 21 and 22 at station E. Theserelays mechanism. The distributer 23 is substantially identical to that described in Danielsons Patent No. 1,215,917 of February 13, 1917, and a detail description of it need not therefore be given here, though some explanation of its operation is perhaps necessary. In'the position of the distributer shown,

arms 29 and 30 on the reciprocating actuator the arms 38 and 39 in position to close contacts 40 and 41, respectively. In a similar way, for successive actuations of the relay 34, the contacts 42 and 43, 44 and 45, and 46 and 47 will be closed. It will be noted that an operating circuit for relay 34 is completed from battery 50, upon the receipt of each line impulse, whether of positive or negative polarity, this circuit being completed to ground through contacts of relay 21 or relay 22, as the case may be. If the impulse received is of positive polarity, the

consequent operation of relay 21 closes contact 51 to connect battery 52 to conductor 53. If, for example, the first impulse is positive, the distributer 23 being in the position shown, the circuit will be completed from battery 52 over conductor 53, by way of contacts 33 of the distributer ,to selecting magnet 24. If the second impulse is of negative clarity, contact 51 will not be closed. 'onsequently, the closure of contact 41. by the distributer will not complete an operating circuit for selecting magnet 25. It is thus seen that the selecting magnets 24 to 28 inclusive are operated only upon positlve impulses, and are sleotively operated, due to the successive closure of contacts 33, 4 1, 43, 45 and 47 in step with the received signals. Upon the receipt of the fifth selecting impulse, contact 54 will be closed simultaneously with contact 47, and will complete a circuit from battery 55, by Way of conductor 56 to ground, through relay 57. Relay 57 operates and closes a holding circuit for itself from battery 58, by way of armature contact 59 of relay 60 and its own armature contact 61. The closure of armature contact 62 completes an operating circuit for restoring magnet 63 from battery 58, by way of contacts 59 and 62 to ground, through the contacts of relay 21 or 22, depending upon which one of these relays has been operated by the fifth selecting impulse. The energization of magnet 63 attracts its armature 64, thereby raising the arm 65 to release the detent 87 and restore member 35 and the actuator bar 31 to the position shown in the drawing, preparatory to the receipt of a second set of signals. \Vhen the armature 64 has completed its stroke, it closes its contact 66 and completes an operating circuit for relay 60, which, on operating, opens the holding circuit of relay 57 at contact 59.

It will be noted that simultaneously w1th the successive energization of the receiving distributer contacts 33, 41, 43, 45 and 47, the respective transmitting contacts 32, 40, 42, .44 and 46 will have been closed. These transmitting contacts control circuits leading to the movable contact arms 67, 68, 69, 70 and 71 of a set of five pole-changer switches which may b selectively operated by any suitable means, not shown, such for example as a keyboard transmitter or a transmitter controlled by a perforated tape, to prepare for transmission various permutations of positive or negative impulses.

Thus, as impulses are received at the station B for the actuation of the local printer, a set of selective signals may simultaneously be transmitted over the conductor 6 to distributer 4 at the main distributer station 2, and through distributer 4 sent out on the main line 1 through the duplex circuit above mentioned.

A further consideration of the distributer used at station B will show that there is a time interval between the successive actuations of the local distributer, during which no current is either sent to line 6 or received over line 8. By the arrangement of segments on the distributer here illustrated, this no-current interval is utilized to transmit to and receive from station A, signal impulses corresponding to other messages. It is thus seen that while the conductors leading from the main station to the branch stations are not worked to their maximum capacity, the main line 1 which is in most cases an expensive toll line, is worked to its full capacity.

What is claimed is:

1. A telegraph system comprising a main distributer station, independent transmitting and receiving rotary distributers at said station, a plurality of outlying stations, current impulse distributers at each of said outlying stations driven by character signaling impulses sent from the main. distributer station. and a circuit extending from each of said main station distributers to each of said outlying stations, one of said circuits being connected directly to alternate segments of said transmitting distributer and the other of said circuits being connected directly to alternate segments of said receiving distributer.

2. A telegraph system comprising a main distributer station, independent transmitting and receiving distributers at said station each being provided with a plurality of insulated segments, a main line circuit, a relay included in said main line circuit and responsive to incoming signals, a plurality of outlying stations, an extension circuit connected directly to alternate segments of the main station receiving distributer extending-t0 each of said outlying stations, current impulse distributing apparatus at each of said outlying stations actuated by signaling impulses transmitted from the alternate segments of the main station transmitting distributer.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22ndday of May, A. D. 1918.

. AMOS F. DIXON. 

